Super Bird of Paradise discovered

Ever look at someone dancing in the LCR and think ‘wow are they even human?’

Well that’s pretty much how scientists discovered a new species of bird last week in New Guinea.

Originally thought to be the same species as the Superb Bird-of-Paradise this new species, dubbed the Vogelkop Bird-of-Paradise has several distinct differences, including its mating dance.

You may have seen videos popping up of these birds; they are famous for their crazy, bouncy mating dance along with their ‘cape’ that splays upwards showing off their bright blue neck feathers and spots that look like eyes.

However, scientists recently noticed a difference between some of the birds.

Whilst the Superb species’ dance is characterised as ‘bouncy and smiley’ other birds were seen creating a dance from ‘smooth’ steps.

Another difference noted was the sound of their mating calls and the shape of their capes. The Superb species was always characterised as having oval shaped capes whereas it was noted some birds had pointed tips when their capes were raised.

These differences convinced scientists to look closer at the genetic makeup of the seemingly different birds and finally separate them into two different species.

The two species are only found in the Vogelkop region of New Guinea, hence the name of the newly found species.

The population of birds has a really low number of females to males and they perform their dances to try and attract their mates.

They even prepare their dance floor by sweeping it clean with their tail feathers.